My Choice To Make
by tiffywiffyfluffykitty
Summary: What was supposed to be a harmless mission turned out to be far more sinister and distressing than imagined. Sacrifices are made, tears are shed, and Natsu and Lucy are heartbreakingly forced apart after a fateful decision is made.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

I never thought it would end this way. Well, who _would_ think their lives would end this way at all? That's right, nobody.

But I'm glad. So long as my friends and Natsu lived on, I would sacrifice myself happily just so that Fairy Tail would continue.

I am Lucy Heartfilia and I died saving the world.

So melodramatic, right? The whole saving-the-world thing. Well I did, so suck it up.

Anyways, I didn't think I would save the world this way. In a way, I'm happy I died this way, but at the same time, it would've been nice if I had lived a long fruitful life with Natsu, that thickheaded idiot, or Happy, that weird fish loving neko. Or Levy, Erza, Gray, Juvia, Gajeel, Wendy…

Well I'm not here to rant about my death. I'm here to tell you how I died saving the world and this is my story…

* * *

"I so happy we got this job!" I exclaimed, holding up the request paper.

"Jeez, you're still not over that yet?" Natsu grumbled.

"The reward offers TWO GOLD CELESTIAL KEYS. Why wouldn't I be happy about that? And it offers 1,000,000 Jewels too! I can easily pay my rent for a long time and spend the rest on books!" I began to dance around, still overcome with joy.

"You're weird, Lucy!" Happy sniggered.

"You shut up, you damn cat!"

"Waah! Lucy is mean!"

"Luuuuce! Let's go eat!"

"But I'm not hungry…"

"I am! Let's go!" He grabbed my wrist and dragged me towards a nearby restaurant.

"But I don't have enough money to pay for the food!" I nearly cried.

"I'm paying." Natsu signaled to a nearby waiter, who led us to a booth by the window.

I was in shock. Natsu almost never pays for our food whenever we eat out. "Why the sudden change?" I asked him suspiciously.

He looked at me innocently with those gorgeous black eyes I loved so much. "What do you mean?"

"You practically never pay for our food so why now?"

"You said you don't have any money left so I'll pay this time." He immediately ordered twenty extra large bowls of spicy ramen and about fifty plates of fish for Happy. I ordered a dish of spaghetti and meatballs for myself, then attempted to shield myself from the bits of food flying all over the place as the two of them ate.

"Do you have to be so messy?" I complained.

Natsu immediately stopped and once again, I was shocked to speechlessness. He _never_ stopped whenever I complained about his eating habits before. "Sorry," he apologized and began eating slower.

I sat there, stunned. Natsu _never_ pays for food, he _never _stops eating whenever I complain about his table manners, and he certainly _never ever _apologizes.

"Who are you and what did you do to my best friend?" I demanded. Inside, I felt myself die a little. Natsu and I will only be best friends. He would never return my feelings. He belonged to Lisanna and they will always be together, happy. Well they weren't an official couple, but anyone with eyes knows that they care about each other more than a "best friends" relationship.

He blinked. "You're weird, Luce."

I 'Lucy Kicked' him out the door.

* * *

That night, I stepped out of the shower to find Natsu on my bed staring up at the ceiling while Happy snored on my pillow, drooling a bit. Instead of being angry at them for intruding, I simply asked, "What's wrong?"

He shook his head mutely and I raised my eyebrow before ducking back into the bathroom to change into my pink pajamas and brush my teeth before going over to sit on the bed next to him.

"Does Lisanna like me?" he asked abruptly.

I was shocked then I bowed my head to hide the fact that I was blinking away my tears. "Yeah… she does."

"What should I do?"

He came here just for love advice? I blinked harder. "Do you like her back?"

"Course I do!" He grinned at me and I felt my heart shattering into pieces, millions of cracks holding together what was left of my heart.

"If you feel the same way, then you should confess," I told him.

He frowned. "What if she doesn't like me back?"

I smacked my hand to my forehead. "Didn't I just say that she likes you?"

"Ohh…" He scratched the back of his head perplexedly. "What if I don't feel the same way?"

My jaw dropped. "First you say you like her then you ask what would happen if you didn't like her back. Do you like her or not?"

"Hmm… I like her as a friend. Actually, I think I like someone else, but I don't think she likes me that way at all."

"Who is it?"

"Ehh… not telling."

"Aw, come on, Natsu!"

"Nope. Not telling."

"Hmph, fine. I'm going on that mission by myself then."

"No way! I'm coming with you!"

"Then tell me who you like and I'll let you come with me."

"That's blackmail, Luce!"

"Then I'm going alone."

He sat still, thinking. I wondered who he liked and I felt instantly depressed. The person who he likes definitely won't be me.

Finally, Natsu sighed in defeat. "I can't tell you… You won't believe me."

"I'll believe you, whoever you like," I promised, touching his arm.

"You'll laugh at me."

"I won't."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

"Okay then… I like…"

"Uh-huh?" I leaned forward in anticipation.

"Evergreen."

"HUH?!" I yelled.

Natsu began to roar with laughter at my shocked expression. "See! I told you you wouldn't believe me!"

"But-But-But Evergreen!" I was still yelling. I couldn't believe it. What did he see in her?

"Naw, I don't like her at all. She smells like flowers and rock too much. I don't like it," he said, wrinkling his nose.

"Oh…," I sighed with relief.

"What? Did you get jealous, Luce?" he teased.

"No way in hell!"

"Aww, admit it~ You got jealous~" he sang in this singsong voice that I found extremely cute.

"I didn't! Ugh! I'm going to sleep!" I yelled and threw the covers over my head, glowering with anger into the dark shadows. In truth, I did get jealous, but no way was I ever going to tell him that!"

After a few minutes, Natsu poked me. "Luce, are you sleeping?"

"No, but I want to sleep. If you want to stay over tonight, feel free to." I almost groaned aloud. I just invited my crush for a sleepover! This is going to be a long night…

"Really?" His voice was adorably excited.

"Why not? You stay over almost every night anyway," I half-heartedly grumbled, but I was happy he agreed.

"Thanks, Lucy!"

"Just turn off the lights before u go to bed and get Happy off my pillow. I can't sleep in here."

I felt him get off the bed and heard the click of the light switch then felt him get back in and shift Happy to the side before lying down next to me as I poked my head out of the stifling heat of my blanket.

It was quiet until I said, "I'm going on that mission by myself tomorrow."

"HELL NO!"

* * *

**Fanfiction request from Takamiya Sakura that I liked and decided to work on. Next chapter coming soon!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Natsu, stop following me, I can handle this by myself!"

"No way, Luce, we're partners, we should go together," Natsu protested as he and I walked to the guild for breakfast before I started out on my mission.

"Not until you tell me who you like," I said, steadfast in my decision.

"Luuuuuuuceeee!"

"No."

I pushed open the doors of the guild and went to my usual seat. "Morning, Mira. Can I have pancakes today?"

"Sure, Lucy," she replied before going to the kitchen. I sighed as Natsu sat next to me, ready to pester me some more.

"Luuuuuuuucccyyyyyyyyy. Let me coooooooooooome," he moaned.

"No."

"Luuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuceee!"

"Ugh, would you cut it out?" I snapped.

"You know, Lucy, you should really take Natsu with you," Mira said, reappearing with a plate heaped with golden brown pancakes topped with vanilla ice cream and a bottle of maple syrup.

I drizzled maple syrup on my pancakes and started eating, ignoring the whines and protests of my partner until he sullenly stopped and stared down at my pancakes. I sighed and gave him the rest. "Alright, Natsu, you can come BUT you can't destroy anything unless necessary. I don't want to mess up on this job."

He brightened instantly. "Really? I can come? Like really, really come?"

I sighed again. "Yes, Natsu, you can come."

He whooped and began to do a sort of victory dance on the nearest table, my pancakes in one hand and the fork in the other. I began to smile at his foolish antics and Mira caught me at it.

"Soooo. Lucy~" she sang.

"What, Mira?"

"Do you like Natsu?" she deadpanned and I nearly fell off the stool in shock.

"What, no!" I protested and she giggled.

"You're blushing~"

"Mira, I really really don't think of Natsu that way."

"Oh really?"

"Really." Eager to escape, I put down a couple of Jewels on the counter. "Keep the change and thanks for the food. Natsu! I'm leaving now!"

"I'm coming!"

I waved over at Gray and Erza. "I'll see you guys when we come back!"

"Use protection!" Gray called and everyone sniggered.

I glared at him. "Natsu and I aren't together that way."

"Suuuuuure," he drawled and everyone snickered again.

Huffing, I left the guild as Natsu trailed after me. "I'm going back to my house to get my stuff. What about you?"

"I need to pack." He grinned. "Never thought you would let me come along, Luce."

I blushed lightly. "Well… yeah I guess." What I didn't say was that I couldn't resist that pleading face of his with the pouty mouth and those _eyes_.

Natsu Dragneel would be the death of me one day.

"Meet me at the train station in an hour, 'kay?" I told him.

"Sure, Luce!" He ran the other way, whooping as I looked after him with amusement.

"I just love him so much…" As soon as I said that, I clapped my mouth over my hand. What?

I blushed. Did I just say I loved him? Out loud? I glanced around me, but there was no one who seemed to have overheard me and I sighed with relief.

"Ok! Time to get going!" I said as I strode towards my apartment.

* * *

**I decided I'm going to continue on with This Is The End. Apologies to those who wanted me to continue on with Love Conquers All, but I sorta hit a writer's block on it **

**I'm sorry this chapter is kinda short and not really that exciting, but next chapter is when everything gets a lot more exciting (hopefully) I'll update as soon as I can!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

We arrived at a large town deep within the mountains in the east of Fiore. As soon as the train stopped, Natsu jumped to his feet. "I'm all fired up!" he yelled.

The train lurched slightly and he immediately collapsed on the floor. "S-Stop…"

I sighed. "Get a grip, Natsu. We need to find the guy in charge of this place." We got off the train and, not knowing where to go, checked a map. "Oh no… We need to walk for about two days to get there!" I angrily exhaled, blowing my bangs out of my face with exasperation.

"Naw, it's ok, Luce," Natsu said, grinning. "We'll get there in no time!"

"For you," I said snappishly. "I'm only human, you know."

He stared at me. "You are human."

"Exactly."

He scratched his head. "I don't get it."

I shook my head. Is he serious? "Let's just start walking."

He grinned, showing off his sharp canines. "Sure!"

Over the next two days, we walked all the way to the tiny town until we finally reached a cliff overlooking the place.

"Look! There it is!" I cheered, pointing.

Natsu yawned. "Sure. I'm hungry."

I gave him a look. "You're always hungry." But I gathered a bunch of sticks and stacked them carefully before putting in bits of dry grass and lighting them with a match. "Don't eat all of it, ok?"

He nodded, already drooling and I sighed, deciding that I'll just make another fire for myself if I needed to.

I pulled out a can of soup and heated it over the fire before taking out a spoon and eating it, staring at the stars. Natsu looked up too and, seeing nothing but a wide scattering of stars, asked, "What'cha looking for, Luce?"

"The constellations, of course. Look, there's Lyra, Cygnus, Aquarius, Pegasus, and Sagittarius," I said, pointing out each of the constellations I saw.

Natsu peered up to where I was pointing at. "I don't see anything."

I rapped him over his head with my knuckles. "You have to look closer. Look for the patterns in the sky. Like Pegasus. You see that box-like shape? That's the upper half of his body. And branching out of the lower left star are his legs. Coming out of the upper left star is his head." I traced Pegasus in the sky, clearly seeing him; a great majestic horse with huge wings flying in the stars. Or it was just my overactive writer's imagination again.

Natsu squinted then shrugged. "I still don't see it."

I sighed again and he lifted his arms in defense. "Hey, I never really paid much attention to consta-whatever-they-are before today. Give me a break."

"They're _constellations_, Natsu," I said, exasperated. "And I don't mind. I learned all this ever since I was really little. My mom taught me." I smiled at the fond memories that rose up in my mind. "She used to take me out to the garden each night and point out the different stars and constellations and tell me their names and stories until I fell asleep in her lap."

Natsu shrugged. "I never did that with Igneel." He stretched. "Okay! Time to sleep." He laid down and immediately started snoring.

I stared in amazement. How could he do that? Did he have an automatic sleep system built into his brain or something? What the heck, he wasn't a machine! I shrugged and laid out my sleeping bag closer to the fire. It was unusually chilly tonight.

I closed my eyes, my exhausted body gradually drifting into a blissfully relaxed state.

That was when a hand wrapped a cloth soaked with chloroform around my nose and mouth, knocking me out as hands dragged me away before I could even scream for Natsu.

* * *

**I am so unbelievably sorry about this. I got sidetracked by all the fanfictions I had and all the ideas and like I just can't put into words how sorry I am. Especially you Takamiya Sakura. I'll try to update as fast as I can for This Is The End. Again, I'm very very very sorry. *bows* PLEASE FORGIVE ME! **

**This is when the action is finally beginning :) Enjoy and review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

When Natsu woke up the next morning, he found no sign of Lucy, although her belongings were still where he remembered she left them.

"Lucy?" he mumbled, still half asleep.

There was no reply, save for the twittering of birds. He scrambled up, searching with his eyes, but could find nothing. He sniffed the air, catching her lingering scent.

"Lucy!"

He followed the scent trail as it went down a long steep path through the town where he was suddenly barraged by a huge cloud of perfume sprayed by a woman nearby a shop that sold perfumes, scented candles, and potpourri. He gagged and lost Lucy's scent for what seemed like an eternity and by then, her weak trail was already lost to the overwhelming scents of the town.

Natsu stumbled through the streets, wiping his nose to chase away the revolting scent of the perfume with no avail.

"Luce!" he called. Several people who passed him by gave him strange looks, but he ignored them. "Luce!"

A man stopped him. "Are you looking for someone?"

"Yeah, a blond chick with huge boobs." Natsu impatiently shuffled from one foot to another, still glancing around.

The man scratched his chin. "I think I saw her. Two men in dark cloaks were carrying her. Well, the larger of the two was. They went straight across town to the mountain on the other side." The man pointed and Natsu saw a large rocky mountain on the far side.

"Thanks," Natsu said hurriedly and started to run.

"Good luck!" the man called after him, but Natsu was already far away.

…

The mountain was huge, practically lifeless except for several scrubby patches and the occasional insect or lizard, and smelled like rotten eggs. Sulfur. There was also a heat emitting from deep within the earth. Steam spewed from occasional vents in the rock.

"Volcano," Natsu muttered. He gagged at the smell and trudged up the pebbly slope, drawing his scarf over his nose to block out the smell.

The heat was comfortable at first, but then it got increasingly hot. Of course, he wasn't affected by it, but it made him worried. Lucy couldn't have survived for long in this heat.

"Lucy!" he called.

There was no sound. Not even the wind blew here.

"Luce!"

He wandered all over the mountain searching for his missing love as the sun went down, his cries echoing over the rocks.

* * *

**This chapter is so short it's a crime, but don't worry, it's just a filler :'3 the next chapter will be a lot longer, I promise. Don't quit on me now, guys! Review please!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

I moaned as a pounding headache beat against my skull. It spiked for a moment and I almost cried at the pain, but it receded and I sighed. I was in a damp cold place like a cellar and somewhere nearby I could hear the squeaking of rats. I shuddered with disgust.

There was absolutely no light at all and I couldn't tell how long I've been out, what time of the day it was, or where I am.

I began to shiver, the cold getting to me and I wasn't wearing a jacket. I thought of Natsu: he kept me warm in any kind of weather and a tear trickled down my face.

By now, Natsu would be freaking out and looking all over for me and I can't even help him.

Footsteps sound above me and I tensed, waiting. The squeaking of floorboards stopped and I breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe they're going to assume I'm still unconscious and leave me alone.

I spoke too soon.

A door or something opened and the burst of light revealed a set of stairs across the room from me, an old bucket in the corner a few feet from my head, two wooden chairs and a table in the middle of the room, and a thick well-worn stick in the far corner.

No doubt that's used to beat me up or something.

The heavy tromp of boots thudded on the wooden staircase. Who would it be? I nearly screamed as a huge man, even larger than Elfman, appeared bearing a… tea set and a velvet cushion?

He set the cushion on the chair farthest away from me and the tea set on the table before coming over and picking me up with one hand.

"Hey!" I protest indignantly. "Watch where you're putting that hand!"

He dumped me unceremoniously in the chair and began to make tea. I sat and watched him silently, noticing with surprise that he was setting it for two.

He poured out a steaming cup and set it gently on a dish with an accompanying silver spoon and placing it before me. I smelled it.

Earl Grey, a tea I'd drank many times in my childhood. I put in three or four lumps of sugar in and stirred, but I didn't drink. What if it was poisoned or something?

Huge Guy (I didn't know his name so I made up a nickname for him) stood in the corner by the stick, refusing to look at me.

Presently, there was the stomp of boots again and a tiny little man came down the stairs. I eyed him apprehensively. There was an aura around the man. Something told me that I did not want to cross him or it'll turn out bad for me.

Then again, it might already turn out bad for me if I've been kidnapped.

Old Guy (seriously, I don't have any imaginative nicknames at the moment) grinned as soon as he saw me. "Miss Heartfilia! What a pleasure to see you!"

He trotted over and hauled himself up onto the cushion. Huge Guy came over and poured him a cup of tea before returning back to his corner. Old Guy put in a little lemon before I spoke.

"Why did you kidnap me?"

Old Guy shook his head. "_I_ didn't do it, but Kali, Mephistopheles, and Azazel—" He gestured to the huge man behind him. "—are the ones who captured you."

"What about Natsu?" I asked, my heart clenching with fear. Did they hurt him?

"The Salamander has not been harmed," Old Guy assured me and I relaxed, sagging back into my chair.

"But if he interferes with the ritual, he will be eliminated."

I bolted upright. "What do you mean eliminated?" I snarled.

Azazel suddenly appeared next to me and pushed me down into my chair with a large heavy hand. I landed painfully on my rump and I glared at him, but Azazel was emotionless.

"What I mean, my dear," Old Guy said. "Is that if Natsu Dragneel interferes with the ceremony, he will not live to see the next day."

"What ceremony?" I hissed.

Old Guy took a sip of Earl Grey tea then said to Azazel, "Leave us."

"Yes, Master Abbadon," Azazel said and tromped up the stairs.

"Abbadon?" I said aloud, musing.

"Yes. I chose that name for myself," Abbadon said, amused.

I shook my head. I was getting off topic. "Tell me about the ritual or whatever it is."

Abbadon set down his cup and put his fingertips together, peering out over me. "Well… before we get to that, let me tell you a little story.'

I glared, but he ignored me. "Once, about oh, five hundred years ago, maybe, there was a young girl much like you. She had soft golden hair, warm amber eyes… and she was beloved by otherworldly beings."

I cocked my head to the side, confused. Otherworldly beings?

"She also possesses one power: the power to save the world. However, a sect attempted to capture her, but she escaped and no one ever saw her again. There were rumors, however, that her bloodline continues even to this day."

I understood immediately. "Me? You mean, I'm her descendent?" I asked in astonishment.

Abbadon smiled thinly. "Of course, why else would be capture you?" He sighed. "We tried to capture Layla as well, but before we could, she got sick and was of no use to us. Then we spent the next few years tracking you down."

I gritted my teeth. "Why do you need us so much anyway?"

"Because if you inherited that woman's blood, you also inherited the power to change the world. To save it. Your family has a history of powerful celestial magic, even more powerful than ordinary mages like Yukino Aguria, who learned it through her own choice. You, on the other hand, inherited the magic and are born to do what you are meant to do."

"And you need my magic for this ritual."

"I need _you _and your magic for this ritual."

"Sounds like you're trying to do some good in this world, but you're not, aren't you?" I guessed.

Abbadon nodded. "You're remarkably sharp."

I snorted. "It's as obvious as the nose on my face."

He ignored that, continuing, "Yes, you're right. The ritual can go two ways: it can either save the world, or destroy it. Such is the One Magic and only you can unlock it."

"You're wrong. The One Magic is love, not destruction," I argued.

"It can go both ways. In our case, we can twist it, revise it so that it can adhere to our beliefs. It's sort of reverse psychology, you might say."

"Let me guess, you believe that if you destroy the world, you will rule over it as king of the world because you and your cohorts are the only ones who'll survive." I spat out the words as if they were poison. These people are selfish, greedy, and disgusting.

Abbadon smiled thinly. "Yes, and no. Only humans will die. Mages will live and serve under me."

I froze in horror. "You want to kill 90% of Fiore's population?! That's insane!"

"That, and gain unimaginable power. We will be even more powerful than Zeref. That, is our goal."

I shook my head numbly. "That's crazy. There's no way I'm helping you and doing your stupid ritual."

"You don't have a choice, Miss Heartfilia." Abbadon clapped his hands and a creeping darkness grew on me. "When next we meet, we will be on the ritual grounds. Good night."

* * *

**I changed the name because the original name didn't sound right to me anymore. Idk, it's my choice. Anyways, I'm sorry for the delay, I'm having some troubles right now but I'll be back on track hopefully soon.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

That night, Natsu finally collapsed at the foot of the volcano, exhausted. He slumped back against a boulder and stared up at the moon with half-lidded eyes. It was a while before he could bring himself to lift his hand and engulf it with fire, lighting up the area.

He was sitting on a patch of dry grass surrounded by shrubs near-dead from the heat. Pebbles and gravel were scattered all over the place. It didn't look any different from the rest of the mountain.

Groaning, Natsu hauled himself up and staggered into the undergrowth, looking for a place to spend the night. His fire winked out of sight as he lowered his hand, too exhausted to keep it going.

He heard a rustle, and suddenly, a gleaming sword was at his throat. His eyes widened as he smelled someone familiar.

"Erza!"

The scarlet-haired knight stepped out from the shadows. "Natsu!" She leapt forward and gave him a hug, slamming his head into her breastplate. "We've been looking all over for you!"

Gray came out from his right, Juvia dogging after him with star-struck eyes. "There you are, Flame Brain."

Wendy, Happy, and Carla came out, Happy flying to Natsu's chest for a hug. "Natsu-san! We were all so worried!" Wendy cried out

Gajeel and Pantherlily came out last. "Where were you, Salamander, and where's Bunny Girl?"

"What are you guys doing here?!" Natsu asked, eyes about to pop out of their sockets.

"Master thinks the request is too suspicious; it seemed to be made especially for Lucy. Think about it: _two_ Golden Keys? That's pretty rare. And a million Jewels? For someone as broke as Lucy, that's a lot," Erza said thoughtfully.

"So Gramps told me and Erza to go find you and Lucy, but Juvia wanted to come along and Gajeel and Wendy too," Gray continued.

"Juvia wants to make sure Lucy doesn't steal my Gray-sama!" Juvia cried out.

Carla sighed with exasperation. "Now isn't the time for that. Where's Lucy?"

Natsu frowned with worry. "When I woke up this morning, Luce wasn't there. Some guy told me that he saw her and some people going towards here."

Erza nodded. "When we asked, a woman mentioned seeing you running towards here so we came."

"I looked all over. There's no sign of Luce, but I could smell her… everywhere…"

Natsu trailed off as he caught sight of a blue ragged piece of cloth hanging on a branch. He leapt over and gingerly dislodged it, knowing instinctively that it was Lucy's.

"They probably rubbed this on the rocks around here. We've been tricked," Gray said, eyes narrowing.

Natsu growled deep in his throat. "So where is she?!"

"Relax, Salamander. We know that they won't take her too far from here. We should scout around the perimeter of the town. Gajeel and Juvia, towards the south. Gray, the east. Me and Wendy are taking the west. Natsu, u go into town and rest," Erza commanded. He was about to protest until she knocked him out. Happy picked him up and swooped towards the town as the rest of them split up.

* * *

Abbadon turned around as footsteps sounded. He stood in the stone circle set in the ground, nearly ten or fifteen yards in diameter. The stone was carved with intricate swirling designs and jagged runes. In the very center, a large rune, dark and evil in appearance, was roughly gouged into it as if someone had taken a chisel and hacked at the stone as the rune was drawn.

Right above the rune, chained to the ground, was Lucy Heartfilia, slumped over in unconsciousness, her ankles and wrists bolted to the ground with black iron shackles.

Azazel walked up in thin black robes, bearing an ornamental sword with a wide crossguard and black opals set into it. The pommel is a pure black onyx held in place with thin bands of silver curving over it. The blade is long and silver and wickedly sharp.

Behind him is a girl with long lustrous black hair and violent purples eyes dressed in the same robes as Azazel and holding a large heavy silver chalice inlaid with rubies red with blood.

The young man behind her had green hair so dark it looked black instead for when the light hit it, which came from the lines of torches set on long poles stabbed deep into the ground that stood every two feet surrounding the circular stone. The man had deep gray eyes and he carried a thick rolled up scroll with sharp iron rollers and tied with a ragged black silk ribbon.

The last man to come up had red hair almost as rich as Erza's with hazel eyes. He carried a large Gothic cross studded with large black diamonds the size of an eyeball and tarnished and heavy-looking, yet he handled the thing with no apparent effort.

"Azazel, Kali, Mephistopheles, Samael," Abbadon said with a smile. "Are the preparations for the ceremony ready?"

"Yes, Master Abbadon," they chanted in unison.

"Good. Get ready. Tonight, history changes forever."

* * *

**Here it is! Wow, this fanfiction has only a few chapters left and then it's over. But not even I know how long it might take. Review what you think of this latest development! :D**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 **

The Fairy Tail mages sat in Natsu's room in the only inn of the small town the next night, having looked for half a day as much as they could and rested the other half. Natsu was sitting on the bed he slept in with his feet and arms crossed as he glared at the ground with frustration. Erza, Juvia, and Wendy sat on the bed with the Exceeds except for Happy, who sat next to Natsu. Gray and Gajeel stood, leaning against the wall. The room was thick with worried tension: none of them have found any trace of Lucy anywhere and they don't know where else to look.

"Do you think they took her to another country?" Wendy asked softly.

Erza shook her head. "They could've chosen Hargeon, then, instead of this hidden town."

"Any other city, village, or town is at least ten or so miles from here. They could've taken Lucy to another town to throw us off track…," Carla trailed off as she spoke, thinking thoughtfully.

"I don't think she left the town at all," Gray said, shaking his head. "It's too far away from anywhere else for them to conveniently take her."

They sat in sullen silence, all thinking hard, until Erza spoke.

"Maybe…" Here Erza stood and closed her left eye. As soon as she did, she gasped.

"What is it?" Wendy asked.

"This entire town is an illusion. There's nothing here and the people must be Thought Projections."

"Like Cait Shelter?" Wendy asked as Carla put a sympathetic paw on her hand.

"An illusion?" Gray exclaimed, stepping back from the wall. "But it's so real!"

"The stronger a mage is, the more real it seems," Erza replied. "I see lights in the distance. That might be where they took Lucy."

"Lets go!" Natsu said, speaking for the first time since they've returned to the town. He bolted upright as the others stood as well.

Erza nodded, her left eye still closed. "Alright I'll lead the way."

But as she spoke, the town rumbled and began to fade away with a faint whooshing sound. Within a few seconds, the town had disappeared, leaving them stranded in a copse of trees. They could all see the flickering lights in the near distance and Natsu lit himself up in scorching flames.

"Natsu, don't rush—" Erza began, but she never got to finish her sentence as the young man was already racing towards the lights, leaving a smoking trail of felled trees behind him. She sighed. "Let's go." A flash of bright light followed her words as she changed into her Flight Armor and raced after him.

Gajeel snickered and ran after the two of them as Wendy took to the sky with Carla carrying her. Gray made sloping sheets of ice that he slid on as Juvia ran next to Gajeel, the two of them natural teammates since their time in Phantom Lord.

As they all neared the lights, they saw an enormous stone circle on the ground, a ring of torches surrounding the circle, which were the lights, and six people upon it.

One of them was Lucy, lying on the cold ground in a pure white dress with the sleeves halfway to her elbows and a modest V-neckline with the skirt of it going down to her bare feet. Her keys were on a long chain around her neck.

"Lucy!" Natsu roared, his flames billowing higher than ever. He stopped as four of the black robed people— three men and a woman no older than Lucy— turned to the approaching mages menacingly, the objects in their hands glimmering dangerously in the flickering light as they carefully put them down.

At his shout, Lucy seemed to rouse herself. Her eyes blearily opened and she blinked to clear them before she shot up and wildly looked around herself. "Where…?" Her head snapped around to look at the robed figure closest to her: a tiny little man who emitted an aura even more deadly than Erza's. "What is this?" she demanded.

He smiled chillingly. "This is the ritual grounds. Here, you will sacrifice yourself to the One Magic and let us obtain our wish of governing a new generation of mages in Fiore and gaining unimaginable power in doing so."

"Like hell," she spat. She struggled against the chains, but was unable to set herself free. "Let me go!"

The man sighed. "I can't let you do that, Miss Heartfilia." He snapped his fingers once again and she was still, unable to move.

"Body Restriction Magic?!" Erza said, coming to a stop next to Natsu as the others appeared.

"Welcome," the tiny man greeted. "My name is Abbadon, and you, I believe, are Fairy Tail mages."

They glared. "Let Lucy go," Gray growled, his shirt already off.

Abbadon shook his head. "I really can't allow that. You see, the preparations are already made for the ceremony. To remove her would be a grave setback in our plans."

"To hell with your plans," Natsu said, flames now blisteringly hot. "Let her go. Now!"

The man smirked. "You'll have to get through me first."

With a roar, Natsu charged right at Abbadon, who blocked him with a wave of darkness before slamming him back with another wave.

The rest of them tried to intervene, but the girl with the purple eyes put her hands together and thick chains of white diamond shapes shot forward, wrapping around them and slamming them into a thicket of trees. The three men moved to back her up.

"I'll take care of her," Gray said grimly. "You guys take care of the others."

"Be careful, Gray-sama," Juvia said anxiously before turning to the girl, "Don't try to steal my Gray-sama away from me, love rival!"

The girl blinked. "My name is Kali and I have no intention of "stealing" him away from you." She smiled cruelly. "I intend to kill him."

The man with the deep green hair extended his hands and suddenly, Gajeel yelled as he was raised into the air and hurled down again before being pushed into the ground. "I will be your opponent," he said flatly.

The largest man formed a gun with two fingers of one hand with the thumb sticking up and shot a round of bullets of light at Erza, who dodged. "You use the same magic as Hades?" she asked, landing in front of him and slashing with her sword, which he dodged by leaping back, surprisingly agile for his size.

The last man with the red hair looked at Wendy and Juvia with resigned eyes. "Alright… I guess I'll take you two."

"Kali, Mephistopheles, Azazel, and Samael," Abbadon said with a triumphant smirk. "All of them talented mages with so much potential. Do not hesitate to hold yourself back; they deserve a good time fighting you and… destroying you of course." He turned to the last mage, Natsu, who glared at him with hatred and anger. Abbadon smirked and raised up his hand before curling his fingers twice at him. "Come at me."

And with another roar, Natsu did.

* * *

**Now that school has started, I won't have much time to update on my fanfictions and I'm really sorry about that :( Another thing is, I'm really disappointed at how nobody reviewed on my last chapter. So can you guys try to review? I need to know what I can improve and stuff on my last few chapters. Enjoy and seriously, review. And I'm sorry about how short this chapter is. Next one will hopefully be longer. I want to try to finish this fanfiction in the next three chapters. Again, enjoy and review.**


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